


You wash, I'll dry

by Fanfic_or_bust



Category: Runaways (TV 2017), gertchase
Genre: Emotional revelations, Eventual Sex, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gertchase washing dishes together, POVs from Molly then Gert then Chase, Pining, Sexual Tension, They make an appearance - Freeform, a brief POV from Molly, but it starts fluffy, cuteness at first, hotness later, mostly romantic, slight Deanoru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-06 14:40:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13413420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanfic_or_bust/pseuds/Fanfic_or_bust
Summary: It's been six days since the Runaways arrived at the hostel, and tensions have been high between Gert and Chase. Neither of them have acknowledged what happened at the dance or in the van, instead opting for angsty silence and longing stares. One morning Gert is looking for some help with the dishes and Molly helpfully volunteers Chase, prompting Gert and Chase to finally talk it out. And then let their bodies finish what their words began.





	You wash, I'll dry

**Author's Note:**

> Ok here I am, still head over heels for Gert and Chase! My second Gertchase fic is a lot longer than my first one, and I have to thank everyone that took the time to comment or kudos and encourage me to write more! I'm so inspired by these two, I just love them so much.   
> This is compliant with my first fic 'To Sleep, Perchance To Dream', so they can be companion pieces. I'll try to figure out how to link them later, but know that you can read this without reading that, they both work as stand alone pieces.  
> Also note that in my mostly canon-compliant AU, Gert and Chase are both 18, and Molly is a bit younger at 14.   
> Also, I haven't read the comics yet, but I've taken the hostel idea from other fics I've read, I'm assuming it's canon but if I stole an idea I'm sorry!

              “Hey Molly, can you come help me with this?” Gert asked without turning around, though it wasn’t so much _asking_ as it was _telling._ And Molly was _busy._ If Gert would just turn around, she’d see that Molly only had 4 pages left of the comic book Chase had brought back for her the day before, and she wasn’t about to get up right now for anything, other than maybe the Mansion finally giving up the ghost and falling into the Earth. And if that was going to happen, she _hoped_ it would have the decency to wait until she was done. She was about to find out if they saved the world or not. This was important stuff.

“What? No, I’m busy.” She replied a little whiny. She didn’t understand the point of doing dishes immediately after eating, anyways. It’s not like there were parents around to ground them if they went undone. They were living in a dilapidated mansion that could get swallowed up by Earth at any time. And it wasn’t like Gert to be acting like such a neat freak anyways, despite all that. But six days had passed since Chase had led them to what they were now referring to as the hostel, and Gert had been acting strangely the entire time. She was obsessively tidying, dusting, removing debris. She meticulously planned their meals and managed the money, and when she would finally sit down and stop moving, she’d seem flustered or stressed.

Gert turned towards her, death stare in place, her stress more than apparent on her face. Molly _really_ wished Gert had remembered to grab her pills before she left. Sure they would have run out eventually anyways, but surely this would all resolve itself soon, before… she knew Gert kept telling her not to get her hopes up, but there was no way that this… this could never be their _forever._ Molly’s fourteen year old brain just couldn’t compute the idea that this wasn’t just some sort of freaky, weird vacation. It just felt to her like one day soon, the police would realize they were after the wrong people, and they could all just go back home. Maybe they could all go live with Graciela. But something normal. School, boyfriends, proms, dance squad.

“Moll I wasn’t really asking.” Gert said sharply. Molly rolled her eyes.

“I’m _busy_. You can’t boss me around just because I’m the youngest.” She complained and now it was Gert who rolled her eyes.

“I’m not bossing you around, I would just appreciate if you could help me, because I’m—“

“Ask Chase!” Molly challenged, to which Gert’s face blanched and her eyes rounded for a second, in complete shock, before her eyes shot in his direction. He was sitting in the corner of the living room across the way from the kitchen, pretending to read, though his head snapped up upon hearing his name. There was an island between Molly and him, but it was open concept, at one point in time a high-end home built for a multi-millionaire.

“Wha-I—why?” Gert replied in question, clearly flustered. Molly tried not to laugh, if Gert’s hands weren’t hidden inside big soap-covered yellow rubber gloves she probably would be fiddling with her glasses or playing with her hair, all awkward and cute.

“He’s clearly not busy.” Molly said with a shrug, returning her eyes to the colourful images on the pages before her, searching for where she left off.

“What? How do you know I’m not busy?” Chase asked a little too defensively, his voice easily carrying from the armchair across the room, obviously having listened to their conversation. Not like he had much of a choice. They were all stuck down there, together.

Molly smirked, looking up again from her comic and shifting her gaze from Chase to Gert. “He’s been staring at your butt for the last six minutes.” She replied with a snort of laughter and a shrug. Both Chase and Gert seemed to be frozen, eyes wide and mouths open, Chase being completely (and deservedly) called out and Gert not knowing how to process that information. It was hilarious and Molly let it stretch on for a moment before giggling and adding. “So he’s not busy, you should ask him.”

Gert was still staring at Molly, frozen, a ghost of a smile starting to quirk the corner of her lips, when Chase finally woke up. “What? That’s crazy! I—I wasn’t…” He stammered, and Molly rolled her eyes again before smiling.

“Liar, and I only started timing you when I noticed. Six minutes.” She replied. She wasn’t evil, she swore. She was a good guy, a hero, she hoped, but Molly couldn’t help but enjoy the panicked look on Chase’s face and the flustered, almost equally-panicked look on Gert’s. They were such idiots if they didn’t know that they loved each other. It was obvious. And they were even dumber if they didn’t think everyone saw how in love with each other they were. It had been almost unbearable the last six days, the tension surrounding them was so high. They tried to hide it, but they weren’t fooling anyone. And they were all stuck in here together.

“I was not! I wasn’t staring, I was _thinking!”_ He scrambled to cover for himself, but Molly just called them as she saw them. Chase had been _staring._ And it looked like he’d liked what he’d seen. All he had been missing was the drool.

“Sure, thinking about her _butt!”_ Molly retorted with a laugh, her voice full of sass, and she watched as the blood rose in splotches from his neck to his face, and before her eyes Chase turned into a human tomato. She could tell he was thinking about chasing her down and giving her shit for calling him out, probably some playful roughhousing like she imagined big brothers would do, but she didn’t have time for that right now. She had a story to finish. So having just completely stirred the pot, Molly grabbed her comic and ran away from the kitchen off towards the room she’d claimed, laughing the entire way. Right before she closed the door to her room, she heard Chase calling after her.

“I wasn’t staring!” He shouted, his voice echoing off the walls of the hallway. _Sure, Chase._

 

 

Crap! Shit! Chase had _totally_ been staring at Gert’s ass! How had he let himself get so distracted that he got caught? Had he already lost all semblance of what cool he used to possess, since falling for Gert? Had six minutes really passed that quickly? Admittedly he had been having a wonderful time, watching her at the sink wearing those short shorts, daydreaming about all the things he wished he could do and say to her, both romantic and carnal, but didn’t have the courage to since she’d told him it was only a one-time thing. He was determined to play by her rules, go at her pace. But he supposed his feelings for Gert were getting out of hand.

And _damn_ if he wasn’t going to kill Molly, after this! No more comics on supply runs! Okay… _some_ comics. But only the ones he _really_ knew she’d love. He was mad at her, he wasn’t a monster. But that was later, right now he had to put out the fire Molly had so helpfully started for him, and he didn’t know how Gert would react. So he had a plan. Deny, deny, deny. Taking a deep breath, he turned and headed towards Gert to help her out with the dishes, like she’d asked. Oh God, he hoped it wasn’t too awkward.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Gert swallowed deeply, as Chase made his way from the hallway towards where she stood at the sink. She felt her heart pounding out of her chest, a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and frustration at her annoying little sister. She had to remind herself to kill Molly, later.

By the looks of it, Chase was pretty mortified, which meant either that what Molly had said was true, Chase had been checking her out, or that he was repulsed by the idea entirely. One or the other. She thought she knew which one it was, but her anxiety wouldn’t let her believe it, so because she wasn’t sure of the answer, she stayed quiet, and did her best to look down at her hands that were submersed in the soapy dish bucket they’d placed in the sink, absentmindedly scrubbing a bowl.

She stayed quiet even as Chase’s arm brushed up against her own, causing the butterflies in her stomach to erupt, as he stepped in beside her, perhaps closer than necessary, and silently reached his hand for the bowl she was cleaning. Not knowing what to say, she handed it to him, and he took the towel that was draped over the stove handle and began to dry it.

When he’d finished, he placed the bowl down and looked down at it. “I wasn’t looking at your butt.” He said, still looking down, his tone and his demeanor serious and solemn. Like he was telling her he hadn’t killed someone. And Gert nodded, serious as well, before it struck her. How stupid and funny the entire thing was. How Chase had just said the word _butt_ with a straight face. And with that she let out a laugh, and she snuck a glimpse at Chase who looked like he wanted to get swallowed up by the world, and then suddenly she couldn’t stop. She just laughed and laughed, leaning on the lip of the counter for support. When she looked up at Chase again, a tiny tear in her eye, his face was pulled into a crooked self-deprecating smile. Like he was waiting for her to finish laughing at his expense. Like he deserved it. He was a good sport.

When she finally got over her laughing fit, she looked up at him smiling, and he was slowly shaking his head. “Okay, maybe I was looking at your butt.” He finally admitted with a slight shrug, his smile tight and his dimples showing in full glory, and Gert couldn’t describe the wave of excitement that washed over her at his words. She let out another laugh before looking away shyly for a moment, collecting herself, putting on her verbal sparring armour. To cover up the soft pile of goo he had just turned her into. Because she couldn’t let him see that. Not yet. And because snarky comebacks were kind of her thing.

“Well, I do have a pretty rockin’ ass.” She replied coolly, and he laughed once before nodding and bowing his head, then looking over at her with those big, soulful eyes. They were serious for a second before crinkling a little at the corners and shining with mischief.

“Sorry.” He said, with another shrug and a smile, but there was a slight edge to his voice. Like he wasn’t sorry, but he thought he should be. He smirked at her before holding out his hand for another dish. She had been gazing into his eyes, transfixed for a moment, and it took a second for her to shake it off and realized what he was doing. Her eyes suddenly widened in slight shock, remembering only then that they were doing dishes, and she quickly finished wiping down the plate in her hand and handed it to him. Their shoulders brushed as she did, and once again the thrill of touching him washed over her, and she realized that he was standing much closer than he had to be.

“Are you though? Sorry?” She asked, collecting herself, narrowing her eyes and scowling at him, and his cute, guilty expression was about enough to melt the polar ice caps. He smiled mischievously before shaking his head, looking back at her with those big, shiny eyes.

“Nah.” He said, and they laughed. “I regret noth-ing.” He said in a silly voice, an old joke from their childhood, making Gert smile. “But I should be, right? That’s probably, like, not cool, right? Misogynistic, or like, heteronormative or something.” He added, a hint of worry on his face. At this Gert snorted a laugh and nudged his arm with her shoulder playfully.

“You know LGBTQ people are known to check out a nice ass every once in a while, too.” She said with a laugh, and he seemed to take this information, think about it, and shrug with a nod like it made sense.

“So you’re not mad?” He asked, and the puppy dog look he gave her was too much, she felt herself flush all over, and she looked down at the soapy bucket before her and quickly began scrubbing a pan. She didn’t know why, but she wanted to smile so badly, but she did her best to hide it. She hung her head a little, pretending to focus on the dishes, allowing her hair to fall and hide her face before she shook her head.

“No, not mad.” She said, and she hoped he couldn’t hear the withheld joy in her voice. Chase let out a whooshing breath of relief and jokingly wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Close one.” He replied, and she turned her head just slightly so she could see him from the corner of her eye. He was doing the same, and when their eyes met, they both looked down at the dishes in their hands, smiling shyly.

A minute or two stretched on in silence as they focused on finishing up the dishes. They worked together well, like two parts of one very efficient dish washing machine. It was happy, she had a warm glow inside her that would fill her up every time they’d brush arms or catch eyes. But the longer their silence stretched, the more her anxiety began to rear its ugly head again. Why wasn’t Chase talking? Oh God is everything going to be awkward now? What if he didn’t like her like she hoped he liked her? Had Molly just ruined everything? The perfect (okay, not so perfect) balance they had struck where neither one of them were acknowledging what had happened at the dance, pretending that everything was okay… was that all lost now?

Finally, the soapy bucket was emptied of dishes. As Chase finished wiping down the last of the cutlery, Gert took off the yellow gloves and hung them over the faucet. When had her hands gotten so sweaty? She ran them down her legs from her hips to dry them on her clothes, and that’s when she realized how _short_ the shorts of this jumpsuit really were. And her eyes widened as she thought about what that had meant for Chase’s… view.

She looked up at him as she thought of him, and found he was looking back at her, wiping his own hands on the dish towel. He tossed it at the stove without looking, without breaking eye contact with her, and Gert didn’t even care that it fell in a clump on the floor. Her anxiety based clean freak tendencies were, for the moment, completely dormant as she felt her breath hitch and she got sucked into his breathtaking gaze. It seemed like he was trying to say something with that gaze, but even if she knew, she’d never trust her instincts like that. He was going to have to _say_ it, with words, if she would ever truly understand.

So what was Gert’s go-to for moments that got emotionally charged or scary? Deflection. Humour. She couldn’t let this silence go on any longer or she thought she would be ripped apart by her own thoughts. “Thanks for the help.” She finally managed to say, and he smiled lightly, his full lips pressed together but the corner turning up.

“Any time.” He replied, his smile widening to show his teeth. Gert almost had to look away, because being this close to him, _alone_ , the softness in his voice… it was _doing_ things to her.

“Sorry the view wasn’t as good as your seat in the living room.” She added with a smirk, and felt a thrill at her boldness, and a wave of warmth flow over her as she saw him blushing, the dimples in his cheeks deepening.

“You know, it had been a pretty good view.” He agreed, surprising her, and he chuckled. And Gert wanted to sing, to step into the two feet that separated them and pull him into a passionate kiss, but she didn’t. What she did instead? Self-sabotage. Or maybe, she just really wanted to be sure.

“Yeah, well, there’s no TV, no internet, I’m sure it was just boredom, or girl withdrawal. You’d stare at Nico or Karolina too. It’s just human biology, like, totally natural.” She said, lifting her hand to push her hair behind her ear nervously, giving him the out he needed to exit this charged moment, the excuse he needed to make the action mean nothing. Waiting, turning her head down a little but sneaking a peak up at him through her lashes. Did… did he just roll his eyes? He was softly shaking his head now… oh my god, was this real life?

 

 

 

For someone so smart, sometimes Gert was _so dumb._ Why couldn’t she tell how much he liked her? He was pouring his intent through to her in every unspoken way he knew how but still she didn’t get the message. She was already deflecting, trying to escape the moment, give him an excuse. But he was done with excuses.

Maybe he hadn’t planned on this happening today, right now, under these circumstances. But he couldn’t keep living like this. Running away whenever they found themselves alone together, dancing around the fact that they had had _sex_ just a week ago, the most earth-shatteringly amazing sex (even if it was his only frame of reference), and Chase didn’t think he’d ever be the same. Pretending it meant nothing, when instead it was all he ever thought about. Pretending she hadn’t just shattered his heart that night in the construction site when she told him it wouldn’t happen again. Hoping she didn’t mean it. Hoping… she loved him too.

He was done with all of it. Done with waiting. Done with not knowing. Done with pining. He had to know. He needed _her_ to know. Because he thought maybe the entire problem was that she didn’t trust that he felt that way about her. But he _did._ _He did._

So he rolled his eyes, because she was being so purposefully thick. It was adorable, though, so he smiled because he couldn’t help it, she made him smile. Ok, this was it. Taking a breath, he decided it was time to lay it all on the line. “Gert, we both know I only look at you.” He said, and if his voice was breathier than normal, softer, it was because that’s what she did to him. She made him soft, she took his breath away.

She gasped a little, her lips parting, her eyes finding his. After a second, a hint of a smile pulled up at the corner of her mouth, but other than that she was frozen. “We never talked about what happened in the van.” He added, his voice just above a whisper. Her eyes were locked to his, big and full of soul, her lips still parted. It was everything he could do not to kiss them as he waited for her reply.

“I thought that was a dream.” She said softly, shaking her head a little, looking up at him in wonder.

“You woke up in my arms.” He replied, a smirk pulling up at his cheek and mouth.

“I thought that was a dream too.” She whispered. And suddenly he couldn’t contain himself a moment longer. His heart ached to see her so unsure, when it was within his power to make her understand how much he meant it. And by God, he _meant_ it.

It only took one step to close the distance between them, they were already so close. He lifted both hands to touch her face and softly pull it towards him because she still seemed frozen in place. But when their lips finally touched, she melted into it, and Chase let out a hum of contentment into their kiss, smiling, though not breaking their union as he gently guided her mouth to open with his lips.

He let kiss continue a moment, slow and poignant, but soon their tongues wanted to touch, to taste, and the moment was going to get very hot, very quickly. And that was great, it really was. But first… Chase couldn’t believe he still had the presence of mind to pull away, hands still cupping Gert’s face, his fingertips brushing her neck under her ears, his thumbs on her cheekbones. His whole body was on fire, and he felt a delicious ache forming down low, but he had to put that aside for a minute. Until he knew that she was okay with it. And he didn’t want her to think this was only about sex, because it _wasn’t_.

“Was that okay?” He whispered, staring into her eyes for the answer. He thought he saw it, but he wanted her to say it. She swallowed before nodding, holding eye contact the whole time.

“Okay? Yeah. You could say that.” She said breathlessly, biting her lip a little before smiling. “You could also say it was amazing.” She added, her smile widening. And Chase exhaled a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in a whoosh of relief. He felt lighter than air, he’d been so nervous, he didn’t know what he’d have done if she’d rejected him. Again. And now he was smiling, too, and he leaned his head back in relief and joy for a moment before snapping it back to look at her, the temperature in his eyes turned up a hundred degrees.

“Yeah.” He agreed with a smile, sliding one hand down to cup the back of her neck, and the other all the way to pull at the small of her back. “Amazing.” He added, just a whisper, before pulling her towards him, this time with more confidence, and she rewarded him with a soft moan, which he enjoyed as he deepened the kiss almost immediately. In seconds, Gert’s hands were raking up his back, tugging at his hair as she followed his lead, and their kiss turned deep, and wet. Hot. And before long they were a panting mess as they made out against the kitchen island, Gert held firmly in place by Chase’s hips as he pressed his body against hers.

The temptation to grind against her was almost too much to hold back when, to Chase’s surprise, it was Gert that made the first move. He felt her pelvis move, in _just_ the right way, and now it was him moaning into their kiss, and it was suddenly very plainly obvious. This was happening. Right now. This wasn’t a dream, or one of the fantasies he’d been playing over in his head these past days. This was real. And it was _happening._

Or, at least, it _was_ happening. Until they heard a door squeak as it opened and voices began to echo down the hall. _Shit!_ Someone was coming! Like they’d both been zapped by electricity, Gert and Chase both jumped apart, startled by the noise and not wanting to get caught in the act. Gert grabbed a stool and sat at the island, causing a loud squealing sound as she dragged it against the tile floor hastily. Chase scrambled for a good excuse, something to occupy himself with, but he was coming up blank, so he decided to lean against the island and look casual. At least that way it would hide the painfully ill-timed erection he had. He’d never live that down.

They both wiped their mouths a little frantically with their arms, but even without the shine of wetness, it would be painfully obvious to anyone that they’d been making out. Gert was looking absolutely fucking hot as she patted down her hair and straightened her glasses, her lips looking swollen and stung, as she struggled to decide whether to casually lean on her right elbow or her left.

She went with the left, clearing her throat and leaning her chin on her hand, just as Karolina and Nico came through into the kitchen. They’d been talking animatedly, but stopped immediately as they surveyed the scene. Chase wondered just how dark his blush must be, and just hoped to god they wouldn’t give them too much shit about this. Not now. Not yet.

The silence was deafening. For a long moment, Karolina and Nico just looked back and forth between him and Gert, and each other, suddenly looking like they were holding back from cracking up. Finally, Karo spoke. “Hey guys!” She said brightly, and beside her Nico snorted back a laugh.

“H-“ Chase started, pausing to clear his throat because his voice was cracking, “Hey guys.” He said with what he hoped was a casual nod of greeting. He was trying for nonchalant, and he hoped it had worked.

“What are you guys up to?” Nico asked suggestively, not even bothering to hide her evil smile. Oh, they were going to be hearing about this one for a long time to come.

“Oh, you know… hanging out.” Gert said, also obviously shooting for nonchalant, but not quite nailing it as she looked nervously at Chase. He couldn’t help but smile a little, and also silently curse Karo and Nico for being the reason he wasn’t touching her right now. She was adorable when she was embarrassed. It just made him want her even more.

The silence stretched out awkwardly after that, Karolina trying her best not to break out in laughter, Nico not even really trying, when some God must have heard Chase’s prayers. Because Karo turned to Nico, yanking on her arm. “Come on, let’s go to the rec room.” She said, and the two shared a conspiratorial glance before both turning to look at Gert and Chase at the same time. “Have fun guys!” She said in a suggestive tone, before sliding her hand down Nico’s arm and taking her hand, leading the way off towards the rec room down the opposite hall, giggling the whole way.

When they were safely out of earshot, Chase sunk down to his elbows in relief, exhaling dramatically as he did. Gert was still looking off towards where they’d left, and she turned to him in amused embarrassment. “And what did she mean by _that_?” She asked, laughing a little, looking up at him with a shocked look. But the question was rhetorical. Because they both knew what they meant. Karo and Nico knew exactly what was going on. And they were giving them the space to do it.

With that thought, Chase felt a flush run over his body. For a moment it had been like they’d been doused with cold water, but as he watched, he saw the heat return to Gert’s eyes as well, and felt the unbearable tension rising so quickly he thought he might explode. Oh good, it was still happening.

“So, should we…” He began to ask, trailing off as his eyes directed her to the hallway behind him. The hallway that their bedrooms were in. She followed his gaze and got the message, because she was nodding frantically, and Chase felt his entire body flush with anticipation as she did.

“Yeah, uh-huh” She agreed, scrambling up from where she sat, sending a thrill down him as she took his hand and began to lead him off towards his room. Luckily, he’d somehow scored the master, and there was little chance anyone would hear them if they could just make it there without anyone coming out and seeing them.

Before entering the hall, Gert stopped and turned to look at him. “Shhh!” She warned, holding one digit to her lips, but as their eyes caught, the atmosphere began to heat up again and she froze, caught in the tractor beam of their attraction. Her finger began to slowly slide down, pulling at her full bottom lip as it did, and Chase felt an aching throb as he strained against his pants. _Not here._

This time, it was Chase that got them moving, stepping ahead of Gert and leading her by the hand purposefully towards his room. A few more seconds and they were safely inside, the door shut behind them. Gert walked slowly into the large room ahead of him, swaying her hips a little as she went, and Chase flicked on the light switch, illuminating two small lamps on the bedside, leaning back against the door to make sure it was truly shut, and to admire the view. He hadn’t been lying earlier. It really was a great view.

When she turned around and looked at him, this time there was nothing to stop them when their eyes connected and the heat rose to unbearable levels. No one would walk in on them. There was no world ending scheme they needed to rush off to save. It was just them. And for a second, they both just looked at each other. Chase knew whatever expression was on his face was intense, because so were his feelings in this moment. It was Gert that was the first to smile, but it was a _damn_ sexy smile, and he knew what would follow a smile like that.

But in this moment, this one moment, the last moment he’d have before lust and heat and passion took over, that he had to ask her one question. He needed to know. “Gert…” He started, and he hoped his tone wasn’t bad because he saw a wave of worry wash over the beautiful girl that stood before him. She seemed to try to shake it off, brushing some hair behind her ear and looking away from him for a second.

“Chase?” She replied in question, and he couldn’t help the warm glow and smile that hearing his name upon her lips caused him. He hoped to hear it again, soon. And again and again, if he played his cards right.

“I need to be sure…” He started, hesitant to finish his thought. He didn’t want to ruin the moment but this was important.

“Sure about what?” She asked softly, an edge of concern to her voice that sent a pang to his heart.

“Sure you want me.” He pressed on, jumping right to the point. “More than just a one-time thing.” He said quickly, saying aloud the words that had been haunting him for a week, since the first time Gert had rejected him. “I need this not to be a one-time thing.” He added, and he searched her face for her answer and felt a wave of relief as he saw the worry wash away there and a wide smile replace it. She was nodding, and lifted a hand to her mouth like she was trying not to cry.

“Of course!” She breathed, and then launched herself into his arms. He felt himself thud into the door with the impact but didn’t care at all. _She’d_ _said yes._ For a long moment they just breathed into each other’s necks, each of their arms wrapped tightly around the other. When they pulled apart, Gert’s eyes were glossy, and Chase thought his might look the same. She sniffed a little, before smiling shyly. “I didn’t think you’d ever want me… like that. I thought it was just end of the world sex.” She said honestly, vulnerably, and he felt a wave of love wash over him so strong it would have knocked him back if he weren’t already leaning against the door.

His lips parted as he smiled softly in disbelief, shaking his head. “No, Gert.” He said, taking a step away from the door. A step towards her. “You’re all I want.” He said, his voice hoarse, and he took another step. He was right in front of her now. “You’re all I see.” He added, a whisper. She gasped just a little at the words, and Chase took that as his opportunity to reconnect their bodies. He reached his hands to hold her and stepped into the remaining distance between them, dipping his head with lips in search of hers.

This kiss turned scorching within seconds. A few more and hands were scrambling at buttons and it was a mad rush to remove their clothes, those oppressive fibres that separated them, that burned every second they remained keeping them apart. Moments later they were pressing against each other, skin on skin, and Chase’s hands greedily felt her up and down, pausing to squeeze and cup her perfect behind, as their kissing turned desperate.

              Finally, Gert spoke. “Bed.” She panted, and he didn’t need to be asked twice. He picked her up, one arm under her shoulder, the other under her knees, and walked towards the bed. When he was close, he tossed her up in the air with a grunt of effort, and she landed with a bounce and a giggly scream, and then Chase was launching himself at her.

              They kissed for a while, enjoying the exploration of each other’s bodies, but soon it was too much. Chase had made sure to get condoms on the last supply run, so he was ready. When the moment had finally come, and he was lined up and ready to enter her, he paused, looking up from himself to look at Gert’s eyes. They were closed but she quickly opened them when she realized he was hesitating. Her chest was heaving, her breasts out and still shining from the kisses Chase had left there. “Last chance.” He said, panting, making sure just one last time. He saw a flash of annoyance on Gert’s face and almost laughed as he did.

              “Are you kidding me Chase?” She asked impatiently, breathlessly, and he laughed before shrugging more with his head than shoulders because he was holding himself up as he hovered over her.

              “Just making sure.” He laughed, and she rolled her eyes and groaned.

              “Just shut up and get on with it, Stein.” She replied with a wink and a smile, and he very happily obliged.

              The sex was the best of Chase’s life. Sure, it had only been his second time, but he couldn’t ever imagine anything more perfect. They’d started slow, getting to know each other. What made Gert happy, what she liked. He kissed her slowly and intimately as he leaned on his right elbow, their bodies turned toward each other, leaving his left hand free to move over her soft skin, run unrestrained over her breasts as he kept up a slow rhythm that ever so slowly picked up tempo.

              Eventually, they’d devolved into a frantic level of unrestraint. They both needed each other _so badly._ Chase thought he may die if they had to stop, he was so full of wild need. They were sweating and moaning into each other’s mouths, and more than once did Gert cry out his name in ecstasy. He’d almost come right there, the first time he’d heard it, and he’d begged her to say it again which she did with relish.

              When they were finally at the end, the crescendo, Chase felt like a shell of his former self. He was entirely lust and love and _sex_ and _need._ His final release was an epiphany, life affirming, soul enriching. It stretched on and on as he pushed himself deep inside her, and felt her tighten around him in waves as she came down from her own release.

              Moments later, when they both were finally still, lying side by side as they attempted to catch their breath, Chase turned to look at Gert. She was staring up at the ceiling, a wide smile on her face, her breasts rising and falling as her lungs gasped for air. Her skin glistened with a fine sheen of sweat, and even though he’d just finished, Chase already felt himself hardening again at the sight. She noticed him watching her after a second, and turned her head to look at him, and her smile was wide and mischievous.

              “You know…” She whispered, conspiratorially, a wicked glint in her eye. “This boring underground mansion with no cable or internet just got a _lot_ more interesting.” And Chase couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, and then he was rolling over towards her, pulling her close so he could feel her against his skin. She rolled to her side and tucked up her knees, allowing him to curl his body around her and hold her tight, and he sighed against the skin on the back of her neck. He thought she shivered a little when he did, and he put that information aside for later. For now, he was just going to lie here and enjoy the moment. And he really had to agree with her.

              “I know, why the hell didn’t we think of this sooner?” He asked, and he felt her softly giggle against him, followed by a soft kiss she pressed against his forearm that her head had been laying on.

              “Because we’re both idiots, that’s why.” She replied, and he smiled and kissed her neck again in agreement.

              “The biggest.” He said, softer than he meant to, before he laid his head against the pillow once more and she relaxed back into him, and if they fell asleep, he wasn’t really sure. But it didn’t matter, because for this moment, despite everything that was happening to them, things were perfect. And he wanted it to last as long as he could, to hold it as a beacon in his heart against the dark days that were sure to be ahead of them. But he could face it, whatever it was, with Gert by his side. Add with Old Lace beside her, his fistigons, and the rest of their friends, they’d get through whatever was heading their way. But for now… just Gert.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!! I hope you liked it! I'm nervous lol I can't wait to hear what you guys thought, and if you'd like more :)


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